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The trust’s original vision for the famous gardens beneath Edinburgh Castle was to reimagine the historic place as ‘a space for all to celebrate and enjoy in new ways. with dynamic architectural designs and innovative facilities, all the time being respectful to the people, wildlife, landscape and heritage of Scotland’s capital’.
Given the fading hopes for the team’s initial concept, one possible future option, Campbell told the AJ, was to look at a ‘partial realisation’ of the scheme. This might potentially look only at the west end of the gardens, improving the ‘scruffy’ temporary café and revitalising the ‘Blaes’ open ground.
Under this pared-back plan the contentious, revenue-making welcome centre under Princes Street would be dropped, as would the centrepiece design to replace the 1930s bandstand.
However, Campbell thinks that perhaps now is the time for someone else – or another delivery vehicle – to take the plans forward rather than the trust, ‘a small and sparsely resourced private trust, born of philanthropy and a desire to further the common good’.
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